Draconian Light: A Clash Never Meant To Be: Part Two
by The Unknowing Herald
Summary: Crossover with TerraKH. After a grueling duel to the death that lead both to the limit, both Shin and Jack awaken to realize that they are both thought dead. Armed with the element of surprise, the former enemies team-up to put a stop on their puppeteers' plans. Meanwhile, a very unwelcomed face makes its' appearance, with it carrying an earth-shattering threat.
1. United We Stand

**Author's Note:** Guys, guys, guys. Don't kill me. Please. I had an writer's block a couple of weeks ago so I couldn't write anything. As I did though, a friend of mine, TerraKH started a conversation with me about our OCs and that ended up developing in an idea for this. This is a short project to accomplish some guilty pleasures we both had. It's not hurting AUS, that should be out next Saturday as I not finally know what I want with next chapter. So… yeah! Don't worry 'bout it!

**PS:** The first part to this is TerraKH's profile as he wrote the first part while I did the second one. There's a link on my own profile. Only read this after you read (and reviewed) his story!

* * *

** A Draconian Light: A Clash Never Meant To Be**

**Part Two**

**Chapter 1 of 2**

**United We Stand**

* * *

Where we last left our heroes they were… let's say, not in the best of conditions. Beaten and bruised, courtesy of each other, they lay unconscious on the Inter-Dimensional Rift's Fortress, the one so many fights had happened in during Dissidia. A considerable amount of time had passed before one of the two finally made their first movement. Jack woke up first, the half of the potion he had taken of course taking more effect than the quarter Shin had. Or so he had thought.

He slowly sat up, checking his head for injuries and finding none too serious. His forehead was stained in blood after that headbut though.

He still turned to Shin, wondering what to do for a moment. He wasn't someone to hit an unarmed and unconscious opponent… but he also wasn't one to let his daughter die. With a large sigh, he accepted what he had to do and reached for his Keyblade, a voice suddenly breaking the silence.

"Go ahead, become what you hate," Jack heard, turning swiftly to find a man sitting on a nearby boulder. He was much like Shin in many ways, the only differing factors being more gruff and mature features combined with a distinctly bigger red mane.

"And you are?" questioned the Keyblader.

"Come now, you aren't stupid," Shinryu told him, jumping from the rock and slowly approaching him.

"Here to finish me off?" It was the only logical reason for him to be there, wasn't it? Of course Jack knew that, and he didn't even try to fight back. He had no power left in him. However, before he could see his life pass by his eyes, Shinryu chuckled.

"Hardly. And even if I wanted to…" Jack closed his eyes as Shinryu's fist shot towards his forehead… only to have it completely go through his head. "I could not do so." he then walked towards Shin and stomped him in the head, this time actually connecting. "Wake up, you useless other!" he exclaimed, Shin moaning in response.

"Stop being so tsun-tsun… dad," Shin told Shinryu, only to have the dragon step on his head.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! I'm YOU! NOT YOUR OLD MAN!" he exclaimed, repeatedly stepping on his head while Jack just looked on, confused.

"Aren't you taking this a bit… too lightly?" he questioned, his thoughts on his daughter.

"You think you'd still be alive if I hadn't come up with a plan?" Shinryu asked, crossing his arms. "I temporarily halted your hearts in time for sixty minutes." Both of the contestant's eyes bulged at the mention, quickly checking their hearts, being happy they were still alive n' kicking.

"Why would you do that?! Now they…" Jack began, clearly disapproving of what that mean for Rayne. HOWEVER:

"Think we are dead!" Shin exclaimed with a smirk. Shinryu shared it for once.

"You're not such a buffoon when you want to." the dragon complimented, both halves of the same one turning to the person who was still confused. "It's safe to assume that if they did not come here to check, they were monitoring you. After an hour, they should have let their guards down and not be as thorough. Mostly because they must be discussing how to utilize and bring out Cosmos and the X-blade from the women," Shinryu explained, Jack nodding in understanding.

"So we just have to take that chance to either swipe them from under their noses or mount a surprise attack…" he said, Shinryu agreeing.

"If you do understand it, I have to spend no time explaining. Now, would you kindly move through that wormhole?" the dragon asked. As requested, Shin flew and Jack rode the Keyblade Rider through the Northernmost whole in the Rift, at least the one in their point of view.

* * *

As they landed on the plain on the other side, Shin sighed.

"Seriously, talk about Evil Castle 101." He said as he observed what was exactly that.

No, seriously, this seemed to be something taken out of friggin' Ganon's notebook for extremely obviously evil castle redecoration. Everything for the classic, and by that I mean cliché'd. The four-towered structure, looming, totally-not-evil clouds of doom and death, heck, there was lava around the castle, which was pretty redundant since you had to FLY to get close to the castle, so it wouldn't be stopping anyone.

"It's Lezard, you'd expect anything other?" questioned Shinryu. This was finally enough to send the one person without some-sort of pseudo-parasitic life form (or is he?), anyway, he was far too worried for his daughter to stand there while two buffoons made jokes, especially when one of them SHOULD be worrying about someone he loved.

"Will you two stop spewing garbage?! Do you have any idea what they could be doing to them right now?! Be more serious for once! How can you…" he cried in frustration, teeth cringing and hand finding its way into Shin's jacket. Shin's expression changed, darkened a lot to be exact, but not because he was "serious" about this.

"It's you that doesn't understand. Be too serious about something, think too much of it when you cannot solve it, and you'll just make it worse. As of now, we can't be sure of what's happening inside, so pointless worry will just cloud our judgment. And it's not like we weren't paying attention. Have you noticed how the castle is filled with Manikins?" he asked, taking Jack aback with how adamant he was about his approach.

"_Different people handle things differently I guess… it's not like he's Sora levels of carelessness…"_ Jack concluded before turning his eyes to focus the windows towards the castle. Truth to his word, there were many crystalline soldiers passing through, ones that didn't seem human but had definite characteristics of one.

"What are they anyway?" he asked, Shinryu scuffing.

"They are crystals given human form by Cid of the Lufaine. That's as compact as I can explain it. Just know that they try to act like humans, and they are not irrational… but are not truly rational either. Mercy is nothing you should have towards them." He simply put, Jack wondering just how that was possible… but stopping as that hardly mattered as of now. What mattered was:

"How are we getting in without them seeing us? Not much of a surprise attack if we have to clear an army before it," He made a valid point, but again, nothing one of the other two hadn't thought about.

"We're gonna snake in." While Jack got what he was saying, he couldn't help but realize his poor choice of words… apparently.

"Don't you mean sneak?" Moments later, something founds its way into Jack's hands. It was… "A cardboard box?!" Seconds later, he "got it" as he and Shin smirked, Shinryu vanishing into Shin's body.

*Cue: "Snake Eater" MGS3 OST*

They soared to the proximity of one of the windows, taking care not to be spotted by others as they did. Once they arrived, they locked on to the patrollers. As soon as they passed near the windows, they grabbed them by their necks, throwing them down into the lava before entering the castle undetected. As soon as they arrived at the cold halls, Shinryu popped back out.

"I'll lead you to them. Don't worry, only you two can see me. Now follow me… and don't get spotted!" he exclaimed, starting to walk down the hallways. As he began to turn the corner, he was surprised by a Manikin doing the same, which, even if it didn't see HIM, it would see Shin and Jack… but he simply saw two cardboard boxes. However, just as t marched past the two strangely placed paper boxes, Jack bolted from one of them, grabbing its neck and breaking it, ripping out the head clean off. "Impressive… and refined. Contrary to SOME!" he snapped, Shin groaning.

The duo then followed the dragon through the hallways.

* * *

"This… was not expected," Xehanort said, massaging his eyes while pacing around the throne room.

"That's what we get by allying ourselves with an insane sorcerer!" Marek blared, turning to Lezard, who was laughing.

"No it is on me? You were so certain your brother would destroy Cosmos-infused Terra, yet he could not by the life of him beat a kid that cannot control Shinryu properly. This is all due to the fact you overestimated our opposition!" he accused, the silver haired warrior not taking it well.

"You've got some nerve!" he roared, summoning his Keyblade and rushing at the sorcerer.

"My my… aren't you touchy?!" Said mage summoned his spear, the Gungnir, blocking the attack easily, staring at the man's hateful eyes with his maddened gaze. "You are the one with "nerve". You don't strike a God and expect there to not be consequences!" he blared back, golden sands starting to leave his cloak and body. Darkness began to envelop Marek as both men seemed to near a clash, but…

"LEZZZY! Stop killing off allies!" oh, he knew that voice. And quite frankly, he was quite sick of it.

*Cue: "Kefka" FFVI OST*

The insane harlequin sat on a nearby hole in the wall he seemed to have made to _invite himself in, _legs and arms crossed and wearing a childish pout on his expression.

"You always do that! I mean, let's do a body count here… you betrayed Vayne, Illua, Ultimecia, Sephiroth, Jenova, even good ol' Xande!" he exclaimed, faking hurt as the two men stopped trying to murder each other and instead exasperatedly observed the figure ahead of them.

"I am quite certain YOU were the one that left Xande to his death… and I am also pretty confident that Sephiroth is still alive because I saved him in the end. Besides, if you don't further the plan, you are a loose end." He replied, adjusting his glasses, his smug being almost palpable.

"Details schmetails! Thing is, don't kill that meat-shield… I man, that ally. Yeah. Ally." He cackled. While Marek seemed to be getting in the mood for another fight, Xehanort acted faster.

"Who are you and what are you here for?" the elder man asked, his oppressing aura prompting Kefka to stop joking around for a minute or two.

"Why… I am here to do business. Ya see, I've heard from "sources" you got a stray kitten in your cage. Just give me the rights to her treatment and a lifetime pass to your little group and you may win a great prize!" He said, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, the hole behind him became completely yellow.

"Wh-what is…?" Marek and Xehanort exclaimed in unison as a dark and foreboding hissing filled their eardrums and souls. That… was an eye.

"You brought _that_ here? Surprised you could just sneak it off." Lezard complimented, for once glad he had forged a somewhat safe alliance with the clown-god.

"Well, this was the thing that created the breach in space-time we are standing right now, so it was easy to enter it as soon as I felt you were going for the time-freeze thing." He explained, now turning to Xehanort, who looked at him completely shocked, but also enticed. If that was what he believed to be…

"Can I interest you in a Heartless… that devoured Kingdom Hearts?"

* * *

Inside a cell on the northeastern tower, a duo of girls awaited, one of them pacing around the room while the other, older one, simply sat on the bed with her hands joined in-between her legs.

"How can you be so calm?!" The twelve-year old exclaimed, turning to the young woman on the other side of the cell. "You haven't tried ANYTHING to escape. Are you that helpless that you need someone to come and save you?!" she screamed, the woman simply shaking her head and meeting her eyes.

"Would you please be quiet? I am trying to organize my interior magic. If it wasn't so foreign, I could have destroyed the cell's bars, Adamantium or not. But as it stands right now, I can only trust Shin to help us… and hope he doesn't get killed like last time he had to save me." She told the girl, who seemed to find it strange that they were waiting for someone who "got killed", but decided to go against asking for now.

"Well, the lock is magically protected and I guess that hitting the bars won't work either… I just hate the fact that my father always leaves me and mom alone! This wouldn't have happened if he wasn't in that stupid mission!" She screamed, turning towards the bars of the cage and hitting them with her Keyblade to hard it rebound, flying away from her hands. She yelled and angrily grabbed the bars, every drop of magic she tried to poor into them getting sucked in... Suddenly, she felt two comforting arms wrap around her and hold her in a way she'd never believe anyone but her mother and father to be able to do.

"It'll all be just fine. Just trust in the people you love. They won't let you down." Terra said with tenderness, caressing Rayne's hairs slowly to wash away both the girl's and her insecurities. Truth be told, she was afraid as well, but her motherly instinct just kicked in at full force.

"T-thank you. I shouldn't have snapped like that… I know my father loves me, but I just feel so alone sometimes." She confessed, whispers entering her ear right after it.

"I know how it is to be alone. I never had a father…" Terra told her, Rayne starting to feel guilty for even bringing that up. "But I know he tries his best to come back to you. I always did for my kids. And I won't let your dad go through the same I did," Terra assured her, even if her wording made Rayne wonder.

"What did you mean by that last bit?" she asked out of pure curiosity. Suddenly, she felt the grip on her compress and, unknown to her, Terra bit her lip.

"They… they are going to have to wait for me a bit longer." Even Rayne knew that to be the mother of all euphemisms. She hugged Terra back and apologized for bringing up her late family.

Immediately afterwards, Terra felt something magical nearing. Instinctively, Terra stood up and pushed Rayne behind her against the girl's will. Even if she didn't have powers, she'd her best to stop any harm coming to her. The force stopped at the door… until someone walked past it. Someone that made Terra smile from ear to ear.

"Alright, my job here is done. Kid, other kid, the girls are here!" And sure enough, she saw Shinryu walk past the door, being a spirit and all, but that wouldn't matter at all, she knew what was coming next.

The door opened and in came… two boxes. Oh, you know what happens next.

"Surprise!" Shin exclaimed, throwing the box to the side, Jack doing the same right afterwards.

"Dad!" Rayne exclaimed, running up the bars of the cell and extending her arms outside as his father rushed to her.

"Shin…" Terra said, simply showing relief and tenderness as her boyfriend approached the cage.

"Something feels off…" Shinryu began, his eyes shooting open and the hair on the back of his neck spiking as he realized what was going on. "Shin, don't take a step fur-"

Step.

"Well, well, well… I can't say I am surprised. You heroes do have the annoying habit of popping back up every few days… only this time, it's all to our convenience! Now, please, join us. We have been waiting for you for over an hour now." As soon as the known voice of the sorcerer finished, the grown began to glow, a sense of lightness taking out two male heroes.

"This floor was trapped into teleporting us!" Jack deduced, quickly fading away as Rayne called his name.

"Damnit Lezard…" Shin cursed, reaching for his belt as he started to vanish with Jack. "Here Terra!" He exclaimed, barely managing to throw her a small object just before vanishing.

"Please… take care of my daughter." Jack begged the woman he had just seen. One look into her eyes was enough for him to realize she had her heart in the right place.

And just as the hopes of rescue had come, they had gone, Shin and Jack were no longer there.

"Shin!" She cried, barely reacting in time to grab the object, gasping as she realized what it was…

"What now?! We're alone again!" Rayne exclaimed. Very poor choice of words.

*Cue: "Why So Serious" TDK OST*

"I… wouldn't say that," a voice told the duo of females from behind. Recognizing the voice instantly, Terra took the object and gripped it as it should be gripped, a pristine white sword-handle. Instantly blue flames erupted from it, forming a sheath that she grabbed with her other hand while spinning around, unsheathing a blade of pure light and decapitating the man that had had appeared behind them moments before. Kefka's head rolled on the ground, seemingly lifeless as its body fell also… but then, it started laughing.

"Bad, bad girl! I mean, I came to visit you and everything!" At that reaction, Terra knew it wasn't safe. She turned to the door and swung her blade against the lock, pleading her reasoning to be sound. She breathed in relief when the lock melted like butter.

"Let's go!" She exclaimed, grabbing Rayne's hand and beginning to run.

"What did you do?!" The girl, asked as they bolted out of the room.

"The only thing the Claíomh Solais can't cut is Orichalcum. Shin may have just saved us…" she replied, the "may" carrying weight. She knew it. That wouldn't stop him.

"Going somewhere?" Kefka asked as they turned a corner, laying with his arms crossed on the wall that had just come into view. They both gasped when the blaze on Kefka's hand manifested, a crazy laughter following his:" Why, yes you are!"

* * *

Our male pair was not safe though, as the trap had taken them directly onto the throne room.

"I'll be honest, I was expecting the dungeon," Shin commented as his feet touched the ground.

"They must be more desperate to destroy us than I thought," Jack agreed, being interrupted by a dark chuckle as darkness formed something above his shoulder.

*Cue: "Organization XIII" from… oh, I don't know. Super Mario Bros?*

"That's quite the entertaining joke brother. But desperation is the last thing to cross our minds," the shadow told him, taking the form of Jack himself for a second, staring at his eyes as it slowly reverted to its original form, Illusion. Jack groaned, swinging his Keyblade at his sibling, only to have him dissipate into darkness again, darkness that formed a poll that moved onto the side of the throne, where Xehanort sat.

"Oh boy, I never saw that coming," Shin sighing at the side of Xehanort.

"Xehanort, so you were behind this?!" Jack shouted, Xehanort smiling in return.

"Why yes, of course. You see, it is not every day that you find such a massive gap in the time-space continuum. But I understand that if you would break into the realm of the dead that was to be expected." Xehanort explained, slowly rubbing his hands into each other.

"So, this was all due to a random happening?" Shin questioned, this time Lezard talking.

"That was merely the kindling. The rest of the flame was fueled by our collective genius." He said, only be met with a:

"Soooo, in short, you're winging it?" Shin knew they weren't but still, the more they got lost in their thoughts the better.

"You'd love that, would you not, son of Shinryu? No. What happened was that I simply decided to explore this new crevice between worlds, meeting Lezard and forging an alliance with him and Illusion. You see, the prospect of having your shard of the crystal primo, the most powerful of existences, along with Light, Darkness, the X-Blade and even what can be the strongest of Espers would be more than enough to reign as gods!" he announced, arching his arms up and releasing a booming, maddened cackle.

"That's…" Shin and Jack started:

"Madness!"

"Unbelievably cliché'd!"

They had different thoughts on it obviously. Jack shot a fulminating glare at Shin, who just shrugged and replied:

"What? It is!" Xehanort seemed to care not for Shin mocking his plan of quite predictable objectives, maintain his proud smirk.

"Well, it is not as if any of it matters either way. We have no further need for you." He told him, smiling sharply as he stood up.

*Cue: "Facing Three Admirals" One Piece OST*

"What a coincidence! We have no need for you either!" Exclaimed Shin, drawing the final fantasy while Jack prepared for battle.

"And we are happy to take out the trash!" He exclaimed, summoning his own Keyblade.

"You did not let me finish. We do not need you… Alive that is. Only your shard." As he said that, his Keyblade flashed in his hand as he chuckled. "Marek, have your fun." He told Illusion, who took his orders with a dark sense of glee. Jack struck a defensive pose, but tentacles of darkness sprouted from the ground and dragged him through it, crashing through the floor, Marek diving after him to the lower levels. "Lezard, make sure he does not destroy the quarry," Lezard adjusted his glasses and he was off. "Shall w-"Xehanort began, his speech being shut down by a fist right in the face.

"You talk too much! You want Shinryu's Crystal Primo Shard…" he began, his mane becoming red like Shinryu's as he felt Shinryu give up his ghost form and enter him. His eyes become golden once again, and his body was covered in a flash of light, from it appearing a silver jagged and ornate armor made of Shinryu's crystal scales, golden markings adorning it, a silver tail and two wings, both of which's interiors were golden, appeared, the wings now truly materialized, not just transparent as before. It wasn't as much as he was changing attire as it was his body taking a different appearance altogether. "Come and get it!" He shouted, his voice now doubled. He pulled back his sword, now gleaming in golden energy and roared: "Chaotic Deluge!" he roared, the golden light engulfing Xehanort, destroying the wall and taking to the skies.

*Cue: "Black Powder" KH BBS OST*

"_He's not that weak. Stay on your guard."_ Shinryu told Shin as the dust began to settle. The man tried to heed his advice, but, before he knew it, Xehanort emerged from the debris and grabbed him by the throat, pulling him overhead and slamming him into the ground.

"Pitiful." Xehanort taunted, black ice growing from his hand into Shin's neck. He was surprised when Shin smiled back, his hand grabbing his.

"That's… my game." He told him, his ice slowly crystalizing into golden crystal that began climbing his arm. Xehanort jumped back and attacked the crystal with his Keyblade, shattering it.

"That form… those powers… It would seem you were holding back against Jack…" Xehanort hissed, his plans for once not covering every single contingency.

"Well, to be fair, he was too. I could feel it. None of us truly wanted the other dead. But against you guys? We have no reason to hold back!" Shinryu exclaimed, making Xehanort taste his own medicine by spearing towards him sword blazing: "Elemental Blade: God Burst!" Xehanort had not the speed to dodge it, instead resorting to block it, the space itself around him cracking due to the sheer power of the blow. Unfortunately for him, he was still not off the hook. Shin's hand blazed with the same energy as it flew into his neck, the elder man grasping for air as Shin chanted: "And now... Heat End!" an explosion taking over Xehanort and over half of the room.

"_Well, that was… __disappointing__."_ Shinryu commentated as the dust settled once again, the smoldering remains of the throne room being completely unrecognizable.

"ENOUGH!" they heard the voice of the man roar, Xehanort appearing from within their own shadow. "I've had enough of you dragon! Now KNEEL!" He boomed, extending his hand and showering Shin with tendrils of darkness that overpowered the young man, slowly driving him to his knees.

"Where did this power come from?" Shin groaned, gasping for air, but even his lungs were starting to slow down.

"_His hand…__ that's Kaiser's shard…__"_ Shinryu pointed out. Shin looked at it and it was all clear.

"Yes. We were brought a little present by an acquaintance of yours… truth be told, we only truly needed your shard of the Crystal Primo, Shinryu's shard, to become nigh unstoppable, but the clown gave us a beast with not one, but TWO of them! With that power, we do not NEED anything else! Light, X-blade and Espers be damned! With your shard, the triumvirate of unimaginable power will be complete! Nothing shall be able to stop us from going after the Crystal itself and taking it as our own!" Again, no matter how much Shin knew exactly what he was going for as he started to talk, this time it was serious. Truth be told, if in his world two-shards made their enemies nigh-unstoppable, having all three WOULD make Xehanort God in everything but tittle. And he doubted anyone could stop him from finding the rest of the Crystal and truly becoming one. And with Kaiser's shard nullifying his… he was at his mercy. "And now… to make all power mine!" He exclaimed, hand slowly approaching Shin's chest.

"Not on my watch!" Jack exclaimed as he appeared from beneath the floor, body completely covered in Light. Xehanort tried to turn, but was too late as the Wanderer's Judgement pierce his chest, breaking his tendrils over Shin.

"Why… how… how are you here?! Was Illusion this weak?!" Jack didn't answer Xehanort's question, for not even he knew. It had seemed too easy to get rid of his brother, but it had served him well. His eyes damn near bulged out of sockets once he felt another blade plunge through his body, the Final Fantasy's blood-stained blade now mere centimeters away from his eyes.

"Burn… in the Holy Flame of Lugh…" Shin managed to say before falling to his knees once again, the blow that would delete any true sinner from existence having been struck. At first, Xehanort felt nothing but the cold steel piercing him, but soon he felt his stomach burn. But it did not smell of burn flesh. No. Because it was the very existence of it that was burning, not the meat. He howled in agony at both the pain and the realization. It was excruciating, far worse than any blow he had suffered. Even Jack was surprised, stepping back and removing his Keyblade, seeing he man shamble aimlessly across the room, falling to his knees, clutching to his now half-gone torso.

"Lezaaaaaaaaard! Illusion!" He cried, his… allies as he called them heeding his call.

*Cue: "How Wicked Ruler" VP2 OST*

As Jack expected, they were barely hurt, smug, knowing grins ripping their expressions apart into dark, disgusting satisfaction. "W-what is the meaning of this?!"

"Well, I thought it to be obvious. Truth be told, you could not even stand against Shinryu without using the powers of the shards… We both can, easily, do so. See the problem?" Lezard questioned, Xehanort curling in pain but still asking:

"How… how dare you?" He asked, Lezard adjusting his glasses once again and replying:

"Why would we, beings superior to humans, gods even, obey an elderly man on his deathbed, so afraid of the end he wanted nothing more than to become something that would end?" Lezard asked, turning his back on him as Illusion made his way to Xehanort.

"Don't worry… you'll not only escape death, but also become a being far more than your pitiful existence. We'll still be working together, after all." He grabbed his neck and pulled him upwards, suspending the man in midair. "Now… take that shard back to where it belongs!" He shouted, throwing Xehanort through the hole Shin had created. The man barely had time to curse the betrayers before being engulfed in a shadow as black as night. Moments, later, a maw closed with such force the air trembled. Xehanort, was no more.

"W-what is that?!" Jack asked, backing away as fear cropped up on him and Shin. True fear, for the first time in a dozen years. As he stared into the giant yellow eyeball, he heard Shin say:

"Ouroboros… The Devourer."

* * *

Outside the castle, through a portal in the Rift, there was mountain zone of pure white snow, a small town poised at the base of a mountain. The town was the prelude to a mine-zone, one that was not nearly as serene as the rest of the area.

*Cue: "Battle to the Death" Dissidia version*

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Kefka called as he walked through the corridors, his prey having escaped his eyes after falling into the portal. Nevertheless, he could still feel them nearby, being a being of magic after his transformation. Suddenly, without warning, he shot a blast of violet energy against one of the walls, the Ultima spell detonating erratically. Rayne and Terra cried in agony as the wall they were passing through exploded in that same energy, knocking the near-magic-less Terra against the wall, back of the neck first, knocking her unconscious as Rayne was knocked off her feet. "Oh, hey kitten! Just wanna say, you were right! I've been waiting for alone time with ya ever since you left the Empire!" he whispered, licking his lips while slowly making his way up to her.

"You stay away from her, clown!" Rayne exclaimed, blocking his path with Equilibrium in hand. Kefka didn't seem amused.

"Seriously kitten! What is it with you and annoying twelve-year-olds? First the painting brat, then Onion Rings, and now THIS?! It's getting ridiculous… and that's ME saying it!" He crossed his arms and shook his head, eyes closed. This made Rayne try to take that chance to strike, but her strike to the neck was easily dodged when Kefka leaned backwards, a-la Matrix. "Close, but no cigar! You're ten years too early to even think of giving me tr-"as he ranted, Rayne had landed behind him and stabbed at him again, this time drawing blood. Kefka gagged repeatedly, his eyes finding the sword that had pierced him leaving his body through his chest and turning redder than his own blood.

"You…insolent whore!" He exclaimed, his four angel wings and two darker bat-like wings sprouting from his back all at the same time, piercing Rayne all over her small body. She fell backwards, but was grabbed by the hair by the former clown, whose make up had burned away, along with most of his clothing, leaving only his bare purple skin showing, a small cloth waist covering some of this legs and his entire waste. "I'm going to teach you some manners!" He took her by the hair and threw her against the wall, creating a spike of ice and commanding it to impale her. Rayne landed on the wall with her feet and kicked herself to the side, barely dodging it. Yet, in a blur, Kefka was right there in front of her, hand burning in crimson flames that he slammed into her side. The girl cried in pain as the side of her body was being burned, falling to the ground in spasms.

"Ya know… this would be much funnier if the girlie over there was watching… you should've seen her face when her children died!" Kefka exclaimed, grabbing Rayne by the hair and taking her face to his level. "I only wish I could've done it myself!" he shouted, laughing hysterically as a current of electricity descended from his hand, through Rayne's hairs and finally shocking her body. "Wait a sec… I can kill you and show you to your dad! Not nearly as good, but oh well!" He laughed, and laughed, only stopping when Rayne's body stopped convulsing. He then dropped her and turned his back on her, turning to Terra. "Now… for the main course."

"I'm… not a weakling!" Rayne screamed, concentrating all of her power in her right hand. "HOLY!" She cried, shooting an orb of Light energy in the direction of the crazed maniac, who just turned back and sighed as it made contact with him. The tunnels were suddenly illuminated by the flare of the explosion, but nothing more. At the end of the day, Kefka was unharmed. "No… way…" she said in disbelief, falling unconscious from overexertion.

"Alright! NOW it's the main course! Cheeky little brat that was…" He said, slowly making his way towards Terra.

* * *

Speaking of which… her sleep was anything but uneventful. As Kefka had his way with Rayne, Terra found herself on a very familiar place. Her feet were wet up to her ankles in the warm water of the Sanctuary… even though she knew it wasn't the real one. She looked around and found the seat Cosmos would sit on, surprised to actually SEE the Goddess of Harmony sitting there, her entire splendor restored, a far cry from the beaten, bruised form she had used to talk with them for the past three months. Of course… that could only mean one thing.

"Terra… so we meet again," She greeted, signaling her to come forward. Terra did what she asked for and walked over to the former goddess.

"Cosmos I…" Terra began, her heart skipping a beat at being so close to the woman who gave her life for her.

"Terra, there is no need to thank me. I know you are thankful to me… the last part of my being is in you. And even then, I did what I had to, you are far more important to your piers than I, a fake goddess, ever was." She replied, dismissing Terra's worries with her calm, motherly smile.

"Still… I'm eternally grateful." Terra told the goddess. She swore she saw a tear go down Cosmos' cheek as she did.

"I don't deserve it after what I did… still, let us not waste time. We both know that you are not here to thank me or patronize me…" Cosmos told Terra, the half-Esper swiftly remembering he situation she was in before passing out.

"No! I have to wake up! Kefka-"

"I know Terra. I know. But as you are right now, you will not be able to stand up to him." Cosmos told her, and even if she hated to admit it, she was correct. "Look, the reason I called you here is simple. I will not be able to communicate you as Shinryu does with Shin… I am far closer to vanishing. Neither can I make you understand how your body works. That is something you yourself must learn again. You must learn to control your magic again…"

"I don't have the time for that!" Terra replied, already getting desperate when she realized she had no idea how long had she been out. The things Kefka could be doing just haunted her.

"And that is why that, just this once, I am going to make you FEEL it." Cosmos explained and Terra stopped.

"What do you mean?" She questioned. How could she?

"Terra, this magic is both mine and yours. I'm able to control it also. I am weak now, but just this once, I may make you feel it. The rest is on you though…" Cosmos finished, suddenly feeling pressure on her chest. Terra had pulled her into a hug and was now gripping her tightly, a mix of gratefulness and sorry flooding her mind.

"I'm sorry for making you go through all this Cosmos…" the girl told the deity, who proceeded to hug her back.

"You and your companions went through a lot worse. This is the least I can do. Now Terra, go. Just this once, my powers will unlock your abilities. Understand how to use them, know the feeling you must look for. But most of all, save them!" she exclaimed as she, and everything around Terra broke like glass, prompting her awakening.

* * *

"Now where was I… oh yes! Get what I've been after for fifteen years!" Kefka exclaimed, jumping up and down before prancing towards Terra. "Uh, what's that?" he asked when he saw Terra's hand slowly open, even if it seemed she was not conscious yet. As it did though, a flash of light came from it, her magicite crystal now floating on it. "No…" he began as Terra's clothing began to glitter, her hair flowing and her features moving. "No, no, no!" She then suddenly grabbed her crystal, her hands becoming claws and her eyes opening up to reveal her feline orbs.

*Cue: "The Decisive Battle" The Black Mages Remix*

"NOOOOOO!" The light suddenly blasted him away, breaking the ceiling of the mine and being projected into the cold mountain air. Before his brain processed what had even happened, the clown-turned-god felt a very familiar claw-like hand grab his throat, spinning him around as he plummeted downwards before being slammed right into the unforgiving mountain-side rocks, any trance of snow blown away from his impact spot.

Groaning in pain, he coughed blood, the sight of it infuriating the psychopath even more. Hitting the ground with his hand, he looked up to find the culprit. Delicately landing near one of the houses, surrounded by a large, white, blaze-like energy that flowed serenely around her, was Terra's returned Esper-Form in all her glory. She lay down the now completely healed resting Rayne on one of the doors and turned back to him, her aura seemingly forming two ethereal wings around her, much like the ones in Cosmos' symbols. The phantom wings majestically moved as if they were alive, clamping on Terra's back when she turned to Kefka.

"How disgustingly… harmonic. Where is that whole flare you had before? Where are the uncontrollable lightning? Where are the…" Like a kid, he began to throw a tantrum.

"I don't have time for this! Riot Blade!" Terra exclaimed, knowing how precarious was to extend a battle on a form she knew not how to control. From her arms, came not her usual six blades, but a true storm of slices of energy that slashed through the air in search of their target. The assail of blade flew right towards Kefka, forcing him to fly in-between them upwards. As soon as he seemed to have escaped, he felt something touch his ankle, wrapping around it, burning it. "Whip!" Terra exclaimed, having weaved the same energy she used for her Riot Blade into a whip-like formation, using it to pull Kefka downwards, sending him plummeting towards her. Right afterwards, she jumped after him, calling back all the energy into her hands, creating the shaft of a weapon that eventually lead to a curved blade at the end. "Riot… Scythe!" With one swing, the scythe cleaved right through Kefka's body, his two halves slowly detaching from each other with a loud screeching similar to nails scratching a blackboard.

"Kefka… you wanted chaos?" She questioned, spinning around in midair, claws gleaming with pure violet energy. Kefka recognized that… she had summoned an Esper that had that exact same color on his claws. Maduin was it? Her father?! "Chaos… Wave!" With a swing of her arms, she deployed a large violet wave of energy at point-blank range, engulfing Kefka's entire body and moving erratically downwards, crashing onto the soil. At first there was silence, nothing happened. Then, the screeching sound returned thousand fold, an eruption of energy that blinded everyone in the vicinity blasting from the ground with a massive upwards current, all of Kefka's body slowly disintegrating in the explosion, the clown crying in agony until he could cry no more. Around this time, Rayne slowly started to awaken, witnessing the last moments of the fight with her own eyes.

What caught her eyes was other figure on the battlefield. She didn't see Terra anywhere, just some sort of cat-like humanoid being with a great amount of magical aura gravitating around her. Of course, Esper Terra's first reaction after finishing the battle was to turn and try to find Rayne. Rayne immediately tensed up as Terra started to approach, not afraid, but wary. She did have an aura even warmer than her father's, who was light at its purest, this was more like… harmony than light. It took Terra speaking for her to realize who was there.

"It's me Rayne…" She told her as she approached the child.

"Terra? How?!" She wondered out-loud.

"I'm not completely human. It's a long story best saved for last." Even the curious twelve-year-old knew this to be true. Her father was still in danger as far as she knew.

"Yeah, let's go help dad!" She urged, heading Terra's suggestion and grabbing her hand as they took flight. However, as they did, a fit of laughter overcame the air around them. "No way!" Rayne exclaimed, Terra standing ready and her Keyblade finding its way into her hand.

"Okay, okay! I'll give it to ya! That was pretty impressive! But still a bit short from actually finishing the job… if you WANTED to finish it anyway. Still, all in good fun. Just go and give me a show against Lezy-boy and I'll be happy enough to wait for you back in our world!" And with that and a crazed cackle, the last remaining presence of Kefka in the Rift seemed to just vanish.

"We'll worry later… for now, your father and Shin need us!" With a nod back from Rayne, Terra accelerating towards the gap in the Rift.

* * *

Back with Jack and the downed Shin… they were not fairing as well. The thing, whatever it was, roared. It's roared was something Jack never imagined to heard. It was gargantuan, shaking, terrifying, but yet, at the same time, it seemed to be carrying the wails of thousands if not millions of lives with it, creating an atmosphere of pure dread. And that was not all. So powerful was the creature that the ceiling and towers of the castle could not survive the roar, neither could the manikins, both crystal and stone cracking and breaking under the pressure of the roar. Only after the rubble cleared did Jack get a good look out of it.

The creature seemed to still be rising from a crack in the dimensional material, all of it oozing with darkness. His blood-red tongue appeared and disappeared from his mouth. Its snout as black as night and scales that appeared to glow in an eerie dark blue also appearing to be as sharp as blades. Its eerie amber eyes watched everyone as nothing but a meal. Slithering as it appeared, the body of the beast trudged from the dark abyss for what seemed to be hours. There was no end to the body, there was no doubt about it, the snake was bigger than the entire castle… by a large margin! When its tail finally left the hole, it was if hope had fallen into it. The beast looked down upon the wanderer and the fallen dragon descendant evaluating whose heart was the most succulent. The mere presence of the beast seemed to coat Jack and Shin in despair as they felt millions of agonizing cries fill their minds, ticking away at their hope and sanity. It wasn't long until it locked in on Jack's heart. With a demonic shriek it lunged towards the wanderer, intent on devouring him.

"Grab on!" Jack exclaimed, grabbing Shin's hand and jumping out of the way into his Rider. He watched in shock as Ouroboros destroyed the castle completely in one mighty strike. As it reared its head back, Lezard and Illusion appeared at his head, seemingly controlling the beast.

"Well brother, what now? A creature of darkness stands before you! Are you going to run, trying to save your pathetic hide or are you going to back up all that huge talk about Light and how it cleanses all?!" His brother taunted from the top of the beast. Easy to talk when you are atop of a nigh unstoppable Behemoth, isn't it?

"Jack, don't let him get to you…" Shin told him, breathing heavily.

"It's not a matter of getting to me or not Shin. We can try and escape, but we will only be chased and killed.." Jack told Shin as he landed on a nearby hill. With the castle out of the way this particular pocket dimension was a simple field of dark grass, the only really distinguishable thing being the monstrosity at the center, which seemed to be waiting for just the right time to strike.

"We can wait for Te-"

"I am NOT letting my daughter even CLOSE to that thing!" He exclaimed, summoning his weapon. "You go! Get Terra and my daughter and do your best to find a way out. I'll hold him off!" He ordered, his arm tensing, as if he was preparing for one last lunge. Shin laughed.

"You… want me to leave you here stranded? Don't even think about it! They are my enemies too you know? I'll fight too!" Big words, for a man that, trying to stand up fell back into the ground clutching to his stomach. Still, Jack couldn't help but let out a smirk. He was either stupid or honorable. Just like him. Maybe they had a shot at this.

"Alright. I'll do my best to take him on. Get some rest, observe him, think of something. Once you think you're read to come back, I'll be waiting."

"I don't usually take orders from anyone but Terra and Orlandeu, but alright. You got it." Shin replied, slowly sitting back up and starting to chant some healing incantations on his burned body. With it, Jack simply hopped back into his glider, pushing it to maximum speed, sliding past the maw of the beast , forcing it to turn in his direction.

"Ouroboros… I'm your opponent!"

* * *

**Next Time:**

Will Jack be able to hold Ouroboros until Shin gets back up?

What is the fate of the girls?

Will someone please slap that smile out of Lezard's face?!

Don't miss the next exciting episode of Dragon ball Zeeeeeeeeeee! Wait… wrong story.

* * *

**Post-Chapter Note:** Yeah, I divided this in two. 15K chapters are just… way too much. Next chapter you'll see more of Jack as well as what can or cannot be the most epic fight scene I created. But I won't say ANYTHING about that. To any of TerraKHs readers, and Terra himself… destroy me with all your might. I am ready for criticism.


	2. Divided They Fall

**Author's Note:** Okay! Finally done! I've been through the opposite of what you may think. A writer's flood! Too many ideas, so little time! Still, I finished this since TerraKH really wanted it, so yeah. Unending and Normalcy got second place to it. Without further ado… let's finish this partay!

* * *

**A Draconian Light: A Clash Never Meant To Be**

**Part Two**

**Chapter 2 of 2**

**Divided They Fall**

* * *

"_I talked big but… where do I even start attacking?!"_ Jack asked himself, staring at giant snake, which stared back at him blankly. That did not last however, as the snake seemed to snap out of his trance once Marek shouted:

"You dumb reptile, he encases the full power of an entire dimension's light! What better meal for you than that?!" the man's voice seemed to have stirred something deep into the serpent's mind, a bellowing roar escaping its mouth soon afterwards. The shockwave so great Jack's Keyblade rider started losing bits and pieces of itself, and this was something that could withstand meteors. This was pretty much the signal for Jack to realize "shit was about to get real".

*Cue: "The Dark Colossus Destroys All" Nier OST*

Faster than anyone could imagine, the colossal serpent lunged at Jack, the Keyblade Master barely jumping to the side in time, the Rider getting swallowed by the monster. Of course, this was inconsequential as Jack simply reverted it to a Keyblade and summoned it back into his hand, using it to diminish his falling speed by trying to carve it into Ouroboros. That's right. Trying. He was honestly scared once the Wanderer's Judgment FAILED to pierce the surface of the thing, instead lighting up in sparks as it grinded on the scales, leaving no marks of its presence behind. Eventually, Jack managed to kick the side of the snake to propel himself into midair, landing on its back.

"There is no way I can't pierce this… LIGHT!" he called for, his sword, and only his sword, now blazing up in a flame of light. With a cry, he stabbed the back of the beast and, as his blade pierced the scales and the skin, the light stated to seep into the snake, from it coming a cry of agony.

A? No. Many… Even Jack had no idea what that meant. That is of course, until the skin and scales started bubbling and twitching violently and forming bulging, amorphous bumps of flesh, arms suddenly erupting from them, all of them shooting towards our hero. Jack gasped as some of the arms grabbed onto his right arm and legs, but he didn't let them pull him down to where the beast wanted. He chanted: "Blaze!" Ridding himself of all assaulters and jumping to escape any other that would come after him. However, mid-jump he suddenly saw it. The giant open maw of Ouroboros heading right towards him. Trusting only his instincts, he cast a light blast to the side, barely dodging the mouth while still preparing a counter. "Aurora's flames!" he blared, swinging his blade, setting the side of the snake's head on bright, multicolored fire. The thing crashed and burn on the ground, sliding for a good hundred meters due to the impulse it had given itself earlier, allowing Jack to land on the grassy field safely… for now.

"Way too close…" Jack told himself as he watched the snake shake and contort in pain meters away. Again, it was like thousands were crying, not the snake. Jack still wondered what that meant… until the snake stood back up that is. "What the… what's…" As it turned to him, Jack belt bile reach out to his throat the moment he saw the monster's right side of the snout. The one he had burned. On the right side of its snout, where the flames had burned up the scales, what was below them wasn't the normal tegument of a living being, or better yet, it was, but it was a tegument made of wailing heads. All those people, and it was such a small section of its body. Yet, for a part of one side of the snake's head, there were dozens of wailing human ones. If the rest of its body was like this… "What monster is this?!" It only got worse. Among those faces he could see them… "M-Master Yen Sid?! Tidus? Leon? How can this be?!"

"Ouroboros is something that assimilates everything it devours," Jack heard Shinryu explain at his side. The spirit had seemed to have just appeared that precise moment. The ghost turned to him and continued: "Ouroboros ate this world's Kingdom Hearts, along with almost all of that dimension's people. Only the Wielders survived. It can even use their heart as it pleases," Disgust filled Jack, who turned back to see how Ouroboros' skin was slowly regenerating, Shinryu adding: "Yes, and that also means that since it borrows powers from billions of hearts, the loss of some is easily remedied, as he has the unique trait to be able to reabsorb hearts before they leave unto the otherworld," Now Jack was closer to fear than to disgust…

"But then, how can we defeat him? How did you survive?!" he exclaimed as Ouroboros recovered completely. Shinryu smiled.

"My boy, you are missing the point entirely. You do not have to defeat Ouroboros. At least not for now," It took some moments for Jack to realize what he meant, but then it clicked. Ouroboros seemed nothing more than a mindless animal. A dangerous one, yes, but it had not attacked until… He knew what to do.

*Cue: "Stand Up Be Strong" Bleach OST*

"LIGHT!" he called for, his body being covered in the blaze of Light that came with channeling the entire element from his world. "

"I'll be your support," Shinryu said, but by this point Jack had already sprinted towards the creature at a… "blinding speed". I'm so witty. Ouroboros took this as a challenge and lunged back at him. He was just expecting that, suddenly changing trajectory midair, the creature not expecting his newfound ability to soar.

"The one I'm fighting is…" As he was directly over his head for just a few moments, he locked eyes with his brother, who understood too late the shift of focus. "YOU TWO! Morning Star!" He exclaimed, throwing a small flicker of light onto the head of the serpent.

"I'll leave this to you…" Lezard said, grinning as he vanished, leaving Illusion behind without even trying to help his partner.

"Damn you!" He exclaimed as the flicker of light suddenly burst in a gleam that covered the entirety of the small dimension, like a small sun. Only Jack could see through it, and he was satisfied to see Ouroboros melt under the intensity of the blaze, however, that wasn't he was looking for, no, what he was looking for was behind him.

"Perceptive!" the now darkness cloaked brother of Jack complimented sarcastically when he blocked his Keyblade backhanded. "Still, you think you can defeat all of us?!" he asked, his free hand becoming a claw made of darkness that flew at his face, removing some of the cloak of light he was incased with. "You could not even defeat me! You are too weak for that!"

"Shut up!" Jack shouted back, returning the favor with a punch to his face. "I'm different now."

"Yet you are still naïve." Marek replied with a smile. It took Jack a moment to realize what he meant, just as a shadow started to loom over him.

"How could it be so fast?!" Jack cursed, powerless to do anything as he looked into Ouroboros' maw, which was already ready to enclose him. But then… It stopped. Jack saw a small line form itself, right dab in the center of the beast, appearing in a way whereas it ran along the middle section of it perfectly, as if it split it in two. Ouroboros closed its maw and looked back into his backside to find a shining white figure standing by its tail's side. Obviously enraged, the thing roared once again with the intention to attack it, but found it being cut short as its vision started to divide into two… along with its entire body. And then, there was a voice.

"I, who stand in the full light of the heavens command thee…" A circular glyph formed bellow Ouroboros' bisected body as all of the spectators watched confused. This was unlike any magic they had ever seen. "… who opens the gates of hell. Come forth divine lightning!" Four smaller glyphs formed above the circle, four strings of lightning rising from the larger glyph, passing through the smaller ones to converge on top of Ouroboros, shooting upwards into the sky, leaving two larger glyphs behind, rotating as the ray pierced the clouds, lightning brewing within the hole in the sky. The area seemed to have become the eye of a storm as tempestuous winds stirred up.

"Why that bitch!" Illusion roared, flaring in darkness and pulling his Keyblade back, ready to throw it at the person.

"Don't even think about it!" he heard someone yell, a sphere of holy energy blasting the weapon out of his hand, Jack taking that time to severely cut him from shoulder to hip, making him plummet onwards. "Go Terra!" Rayne shouted as Jack grabbed her.

Terra cringed at the energy this was demanding of her but she pointed downwards and finished the incantation. "This ends now! Indignation!" As soon as she finished, the very planet trembled as a thunder unheard of crashed into the Heartless, the silhouette of this instantly vanishing as the explosion blinded and threw back everyone, including the caster.

* * *

By the time it had all ended, Jack slowly put himself back up, commenting only on:

"We were supposed to save… that?" he said, still marveling at what she had just done. He was not the best magician in the world, far from it, he fought at his best in close quarters, but that magic packed enough punch to make him understand she was every bit as capable as he was. He looked around and saw nothing. Nothing. No sign of the snake outside of… that ooze.

"It's… not over yet…" Terra gasped, falling to one knee.

"Terra! You okay?!" Rayne exclaimed after rushing over to the older woman. As she nodded, she was relieved.

"Just… a bit tired." She explained, turning her head towards Jack, who asked:

"What about you Rayne?" He asked, dismissing it quickly with a:

"Fine…" More out of shame for her previous insults than anything else, but he thought it was out of spite, so he did something he hardly had the time to do. He kneeled and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry…" he apologized, tears coming to his daughter's eyes.

"No… I am!" she explained as she hugged back "I-"

Clap. Clap. Clap.

"How touching. Father, daughter and… uncle unite." Both Terra and the Rikkisons turned to the side, seeing Lezard walk around them, heading towards a nearby destination, with a flick of his hand removing the rubble from Illusion's body.

"What the hell was that about, you traitor?" Illusion spat back at Lezard, slapping his hand away and standing back on his feet. Lezard simply chuckled darkly, adjusting his glasses and saying:

"Far from me to interrupt a family discussion. I just expect you to do the same when I'm with my specimen." he told his partner, both sarcastically and with a sick joy once his eyes wandered near Terra.

"Suit yourself…" Marek replied, giving up completely on trying to understand what went through his head. He saw Jack take a defensive posture towards him, but that would only made him chuckle. "What? Didn't you hear the girl Jack? It ain't dead yet!" Jack barely registered it in time to spin around, swiping his Keyblade around and slicing off the head out of a blackened Tidus, black blood splashing on his face.

*Cue: "Invasion" Bleach OST*

"It's just like Jenova…" Terra gasped, standing back up as she saw what was rising from the pools of goo that had been Ouroboros. She summoned the Solais Claíomh in anticipation, knowing as the pool BECAME a gigantic army of black human-like bodies, their amber eyes as hungering as the beast in itself.

"They are way too many!" Rayne exclaimed, summoning her Equilibrium as her father approached her.

"Shin has to hurry up…" Jack commented as the trio now stood back to back, facing the slowly encroaching army while Lezard and Marek looked, nothing less than content.

"The kid still needs time. But I have an idea for him…" Shinryu said, vanishing, basically leaving them to fend for themselves.

"Everyone, stand back!" Terra exclaimed, determined to gain as much time as she could in one blow, lest the transformation fail her. She cried, concentrating all her energy on her right hand, the sword she held drinking it like it was water. Suddenly the handle of it stopped emitting light, instead pulsing repeatedly. "I'm going to protect… everyone!" Terra took a deep breath and rose the sword skyward. Last time she used this she had Shinryu's power but that had been before Cosmos gave her power. "Final…" she gasped, from the hilt suddenly erupting a nigh endless stream of energy, rising into the empty skies at an incredible speed. "Riot…" as soon as the energy reached its climax, Terra held the sword sideways, the pillar of energy already claiming the lives of many a copy, reverting them to simple hearts. "BLADE!" And as everyone knew by now, she swung it with all her might, the energy becoming little more than a tidal wave of death washing over the giant army in a circular way. Nothing seemed to slow it down, no matter how many it cut, until it suddenly stopped completely.

"What…" she gasped, watching along the blade to see just how one man had halted her assault. Lezard stood his ground, a grotesque serpent-like blade buried on the ground along with his Gungnir, completely blocking her attack.

"It seems high time that I, Lezard Valeth, would join into the fray, do you not think so?" He questioned smugly, grinning maniacally while the reflection on his glasses hid his eyes.

"I… I can't…" she fell to her knees, the last two moves being too much for even her new body to take. "I can't stop now… I just can't…"

"Well now, that was dissap- Well now!" the mage was interrupted by a flaming blade that barely missed his head, trapped instead in a cascade of golden sand. "Do you desire my attention that badly? Well, I'm afraid you barely qualify for it!" he exclaimed, jumping backwards as three particularly recognizable faces met Jack's eyes.

"Master Eraqus… Master Yen Sid… Xehanort? This may get ugly," Jack told himself, tensing his blade and preparing himself for the moment they lunged. Eraqus went first, Jack being the most used to him predicted both the first lunge and the three subsequent ones, dodging them while not moving from the spot. That is because he knew what was coming next. In anticipation and pure instinct, he threw himself to the side once Eraqus stopped his assault, dodging a Thundaja spell from above, courtesy of Yen Sid. Taking the dust created by it as an advantage, he lunged towards the frailest of the trio, swinging his sword in a spinning motion for added power... Unfortunately for him, there was a third Master, and that third Master had just protected his former mentor with his bare, darkness-clad hand. Just like he planned. "This is gonna be way too satisfactory!" Jack exclaimed, his Keyblade shinning even brighter than usual as he heard Eraqus come in for a back attack:

"Salvation!" He chanted, spinning himself around one more time to call upon tens if not hundreds of pillars of light to circle around him, engulfing the three masters and a large area around him. Once the light had stopped, he landed back on the ground, looking at the giant hole it had created on the fallen ones' quickly diminishing army and smiled. "Well, any more takers?"

"I'll entertain you brother." Marek said from behind, Jack shaking his head and parrying his blade without looking.

"Now you're the naïve one Marek… did you think I'd let my guard down?" He questioned, taking a stance.

"Just checking… don't disappoint me!"

* * *

"Don't worry Terra, I can take them. Get some rest, I got your back!" Rayne exclaimed as she nimbly jumped from a now-decapitated Ouroboros Spawn's shoulders into the crowd, chanting: "Holy," as she did, deleting them for existence except their hearts. She then started darting around the crowd, dodging and slicing in what could be described as a dance of death, something that would be unbefitting for her age… except Porom and Palom were five when they did it so that theory kinda goes down the drain.

In any case, she high and above the cannon fodder, but she also was not strong enough to clear everything in moments like her father or Terra, which would have led to her demise. This because the high amount of Spawns simply made it hard to distinguish which ones were worthy fighters, even harder to see where they were coming from. For this reason, Rayne cut down three of the Spawns just to turn and see the Cloud-spawn swinging wildly at her neck.

"Don't you dare…" Terra stated, appear behind Cloud and putting both her hands into the midst of his back. "Tarnish the image of my friends! Meltdown!" and with that, the former-human felt the full force of a point-blank max-level spell, being catapulted into midair with a giant sphere of flames, exploding into even less than ashes. However, Terra didn't see a Leon go for the same as she did, only a golden flash, Leon splitting in half once Rayne landed.

"I said I had your back!" she said the two sharing a moment of apparent safety.

"But who, may I ask, has yours?" Rayne turned at the voice to see nothing, and again, nothing this time also, looked up, nothing.

"Bellow you!" Terra exclaimed, noting golden sand beneath the girl. Unfortunately for Rayne, she looked down, Lezard taking that opportunity to rise behind her, locking her in a cage of light with a single touch.

"Finally… I was getting tired of interruptions." Lezard complained, seemingly throwing away dust from his cape before walking on Terra's direction. She tried to fake defiance, but she knew she was spent. She had, at best, strength for one more spell and the opponent in front of her was not someone she could dispose of in a wave of a hand. Likewise, due to her body being literally made of magic, she was also physically too tired to engage in a swordfight. Still, she wouldn't go down without a fight. She poised herself for battle, claw in one hand and blade in the other. "Oh, you are going to give me a battle? Well, it has been two months since last we fought so this may be… interesting. Now, let me just make sure none of the spawns interfere, I hate nuisances."

"Then you are going to HATE me!" Do I even have to say who said that?

*Cue: "Number One" and this is the last one from Bleach's OST, I promise you*

There are few things in this world for Terra or anyone in the vicinity that could quite match the sight of a boot that was flying faster than the eye could see crashing into Lezard's then smug now contorted face, quite literally sending him flying as his glasses flew through the air, broken. And where he had once stood, Shin stood, armored and fully recovered. Terra was overjoyed at seeing her recently-official boyfriend arrive with nothing but a few scratches and gashes on him, any and all fears she had once she arrived at the battlefield to see him completely out of it melting away. And yet, there was no joyous celebration, not even a hug or an affectionate call. Once Shin turned to her, a knowing grin on his face, it was as if their minds were one for a moment. She had never felt like this… was this another of the new "perks"? She could only imagine being so as they moved in perfect synchrony, Shin jumping and turning back into Lezard's direction in midair as she jumped also, lower than him but flipping to the side midair, reaching the perfect angle as they swung their swords like mirrors, the tips touching but not clashing exactly midway through.

In that precise moment it was much more than their thoughts joining. It was as if their essences were apart of each other. Terra could feel the massive flood of Shinryu's full extent enter her as Shin gawked at feeling the calm but fierce flame of Cosmos power, both flowing in both bodies. Their mouths, their powers, their arms, they all moved in perfect fluency, like two streams of a river that had just joined. And with that, they both called upon a tsunami.

"Riot Deluge!" They chanted, their perfectly fused power bursting forth from their swords in a single, large amalgamation of violet energy, almost immediately darting towards the still staggered Lezard, gaining a more recognizable form as it flew. Before Lezard knew, he was on the maw of a feline Raijū-shaped energy ray that almost seemed to move on its own legs as it flew. His skin was bubbling due to the extreme temperatures of being near the thing, but what scared him was hardly that, but how much energy as there and what would happen when it detonated. So worried was he, he did not realize where it was headed.

"Jack!" the now pseudo-mind melded duo shouted, Jack putting two and two together while fighting Marek, dodging his sideward slash and smirking all the way as he threw him in the blast's direction, Marek colliding with Lezard and flying together towards the horizon, where the explosion came about, the screeching sound characteristic from Terra's Riot based abilities cracking opening cracks in the Rift when mixed with Shinryu's powers.

* * *

"Whoa… you two can break us out!" Rayne exclaimed once she got near the duo, Jack following soon after, a mysterious barrier of light erupting in the groups vicinity, letting no Spawn get through.

"Not exactly… not just us," they both explained to them, creeping Rayne out with their in-synch voice if ever so slightly.

"You need something else?" Jack questioned, Terra and Shin nodding at the exact same time. Even Jack was somewhat… estranged by this. Even more so when he looked closer into their eyes. Their left eyes were both… different. As in, Shin's left eye was violet while Terra's was golden, and they were both silt differently from their right… almost like they switched.

"Jack… you use Light in a way we never saw. It's almost like it you draw it from its very essence. We need it for what we are about to attempt." This continued to be too distracting for Jack, who grabbed both of their shoulders and shook them.

"Snap out of it! Terra, Shin!" he exclaimed, their eyes suddenly returning to normal.

"What… what just…" Terra questioned, but decided against asking for too much as she had an idea of it. "Well, it doesn't matter, we have to do this fast. What we need is-"

"Let me explain Terra. I'm more suited for it… "Shin said, not adding the obvious: Plus we're halfway through this chapter and he's barely been in it. "Okay, what Old Lizard Shinryu proposed is quite simple. We need my connection with Shinryu, Terra's knowledge and skill with magic and your Light as a power source. Normally, me and Terra could scrape it but it works best if we have an external power source. And since the Cauldron of Dragda isn't here, we can combine our efforts!" he exclaimed, even if he hadn't explained just what they were going to try. Still, Jack knew Lezard and Marek weren't going to stay down for long… so when he was asked to join a glyph on the ground with the duo, he instantly did so.

"Rayne, be on the lookout for us, we need complete concentration," Terra asked of the girl, who nodded, grabbing the Equilibrium, just in case anything got through the barrier they had created.

*Cue: "Dalamud Answers" Final Fantasy XIV OST*

"_So… old man, you ready for this?"_ Shin questioned inwardly as he felt Terra's magical hold enter deeper and deeper into this.

"_Don't worry Shin. We already did this once. As long as we have a body, we can do it."_ He assured his other self, who smiled back as Terra metaphorically grabbed onto to his essence, as using it as a blueprint.

"_What are they doing?"_ Questioned Jack to himself just before he felt something otherworldly enter him. Recognizing the signature aura to it, he realized it was Terra trying to come into contact with Light itself that resided inside of him. At first, he was afraid it was going to strike back against someone other than itself or him, but it seemed to accept Terra pretty quickly, as if it had a mind of its own… still, it wasn't until Terra started to weave both powers that the way it worked tipped Jack off. He had never used this kind of magic, but he had seen someone use it. In Baron. And it felt exactly the same. _"Is__ this…__ summoning magic?"_

"Being that even the gods fear, created for a purpose greater than any mortal…" Terra began, the glyph she had created now extending a hundred fold, from its marks shinning rays of silver and gold. Jack and Shin cringed as they felt their essence being used for a spell, but they knew Terra would never kill them by exertion. It wasn't as if they were being stripped of their power, much the opposite, it seemed to be simply flowing outwards. "Oh Divine Dragon, tasked with the protection and judgment of mankind, answer my call!" It was by then that the light intensified to the point of deleting any and all of the spawns that surrounded them by its sheer presence. However, this backfired pretty quickly.

* * *

"To think they'd try something like this…" Lezard commented, summoning another pair of glasses and fixing his clothing with his magic. He looked upon the pillar of light on the horizon. Of course though, there was someone who didn't truly care about the pillar of light, caring more about the man in front of him.

"YOU!" Marek blared, grabbing him by the collar. "Don't you dare interfere again!" His intimidation only earned him a smile.

"What? First you ask for my interference but then you make me swear not to? I truly do not understand your feeble mind's logic…" If there was something Lezard exceled in, was in antagonizing people. Which would not be the best thing to do for his partner, but oh well.

"Why you-"

"Silence!" It was not Lezard's order that stopped Marek, it was the same thing that Lezard had felt. "Oh, so you understand… we must act now if you are to stand a chance. Now, follow me, your darkness will come in handy."

* * *

Rayne was just watching her surroundings, the disappearance of the spawns only raising her spirits, not lowering her guard. And she was right to do so… for suddenly, all the hearts that had been released started to converge back in one single spot, a black sphere that pulsed much like a heart.

"No, it can't be!" she gasped, turning to Terra. "It's regenerating! And fast!" the blob was already changing quite fast into what it once was, the screaming and wailing of millions intensifying.

Terra's facial expression suddenly twisted in pain, the girl falling to her knees while her Esper Form flickered. She cried out in pain before cringing, trying to stand back up.

"What's the matter?" Rayne asked, Shin and Jack unable to move.

"Light and Shinryu… they weren't made to coexist. Light is resisting the spell. We would need something to bridge the gap between Light and Shinryu. Something to balance the energy connection as I weave it…" The proverbial light bulb lit up on Rayne's head, the girl quickly grabbing onto Terra's hand.

"Use me." Before Terra would question or say no to it, Rayne just said: "I'm the balance of light and dark… equilibrium is with me. Also, my dad's Light will be trust me. Just do it. I'll balance the energy flow!" Her eyes were gleaming with determination, Terra could never say no to them. With that, in an instant, Rayne felt not one but two energies as old as the world itself course through her for what seemed to be forever, but were no more than mere moments.

"Cue: "Answers" Final Fantasy XIV OST*

Every piece fell into place and all four parties knew what to say.

"May the Earth Cry, the Heavens Weep and The Gods Tremble. Judge the Impure… Godsbane Shinryu!"

All the light from the crest erupted and vanished in a moment, above them now flying a creature. The dragon was shaped exactly like Shinryu with its long, serpentine body, flowing mane, jagged gem-like scales and large wings… all of which were made of light.

"Have we… failed?" Jack asked, seeing something that was akin to a giant flashlight. Nothing could be alive like that… could it?

"Nope." Shin said with a grin. As if on cue, the dragoon chuckled.

"**He is right, I am here.** **I do not look like my normal self, but I feel like one. I can't say I expected to be equal to my last form but I must admit.**" He opened up his wings and flew around in a circle, the wind coming from the simple action being too real for Jack to question if it was still just a mass of light. "**Solid Light is a new one. At least as it would go for a living being. Quite neat. I shall call myself… Shinryu Lux!**" Only Shin and Terra knew just why a Godlike being would speak like it. Shin's personality seemed to be almost taking over it… shame, for it would mean the dragon's end, complete assimilation. They weren't going to worry about it though. "**But I see someone also brought a neat toy…**" Shinryu sarcastically commented as a gigantic shadow loomed over. Truth be told, Shinryu wasn't that large. Two times as big as Bahamut would be a fair comparison. This meant that he was positively dwarfed by Ouroboros. And this one seemed especially big. It had changed from its past, most simple incarnation and into the one Shin and Terra had only gotten a glance off. Eight dragon-like wings now jagged out from Ouroboros, a mane much similar to Kaiser Dragon's crimson mane slithering down its head. Nothing more had changed outside of it… but the feeling of being near it did. You could feel how much worse this one was.

"As I expected… they summoned you Shinryu! I am glade my foresight was as effective as ever, lest we have to fight you." Lezard said as he and Marek appeared on top of the head.

"**Overconfident on your pet, aren't we? ****Well, so be it.**** This has gone on long enough. Kid, Kitty, Grumpy, Girly, come to me!**" He called, using his powers to simple make the four mortals appear on its back. "**Are you ready?**" he asked. Shin grabbed Terra's hand for a moment while Jack did the same to Rayne. Both of them looked at each other, nodded and let Shinryu's armor and Light take over. Shinryu took this as a sign. "**Good. Now, like a wise man once said… Come at me bro!**" Last time I checked, Zack wasn't a wise man… but oh well.

* * *

*Cue: "Ornstein & Smough" Dark Souls OST wait… that?! They're screwed.*

Shinryu simply vanished from sight, having become as fast as light itself. Mere moments later Lezard and Marek's brain registering their disappearance, they were already to the side of them.

"**SLOW!**" Shinryu admonished, blasting the side of Ouroboros' head apart with a Deluge. This covered our heroes enough to jump into the head of the serpent unseen. From the blinding light, Marek and Lezard could not see Shin and Terra emerge in time to escape, them synchronizing again, even out of instinct, as they both cried:

"Savage Wave!" fusing both Savage Roar and Chaos Wave into one. The point-blank blast was partially blocked by Lezard's golden sands, but as reality around the top of the snake cracked, Marek was thrown away by the dimension bending powers, hitting one of Ouroboros' wings as it took flight to fight Shinryu. Jack and Rayne followed their sibling onto the wings while Shin and Terra stayed on the head. Lezard's golden sand began to slowly fall back down, even then, signs of injury all over his body just from the sheer impact. Still, he was smiling.

"Those eyes… you just keep getting more and more interesting!" he exclaimed, summoning a tome whose pages dethatched from it, rotating around him as he floated. "Come! It's time for your final examination! Dark Savior!" with a flick of his hand came tens of blades of darkness from the ground, all of which thirsting for blood. Terra and Shin skillfully dodged them as they made their way closer to the mage, who laughed manically, teleporting away, reappearing on top one of the eight wings. "Slow! Sylvan Array!" he exclaimed, raining down the sacred arrows of the sylvan bow upon them. Without an exchange of words, they took flight, they had no need for them. They effortlessly dodged them all, Terra closing her hands as she said:

"Thunder and Earth… Spellfusion: Atlas!" by her command, Lezard was encompassed by a globe of earth, thunder erupting from the inside out as Shin went in for the easy blow. Or was it?

"You disappoint me! So quick to drop your guard?!" The man shouted from the inside Shin was about to cut through the rock. Terra implored him to stop, but both he and she knew it was too late to try. "Do you really think you can withstand my magic? The magic of a God?" Lezard boomed creating a giant glyph in the air, destroying Terra's cage and encompassing her and Shin. "Harken the angel summons." He chanted as thunder came crashing down from the glyph. Shin and Terra dodged the first few but they were too many for them to dodge and they were struck down into the ground. "The true path shall guide you to find peace in annihilation!" Multiple orbs of light started spinning in circles around her and slowly closed in. "Phantom Destruction!" The man shouted as he closed his book, creating a massive explosion that engulfed Shin, Terra and destroyed a great deal of the wing. "Too weak…"

"TRUE!" Terra and Shin exclaimed as they appeared right behind him.

"Chaos… Scythe." The wind screeched and the time-space itself was sliced as the energy from Terra materialized in a slash, Lezard suddenly finding his right arm forever lost into the rift. As if that was not enough, Shin blared:

"Spellblade: Almagest!" Catapulting him from one side of the serpent to the other as his black covered black exploded in pure white light.

They hurried to give chase of course, but now we must ask ourselves how Jack's battle was going.

* * *

"You coward!" Jack exclaimed as Marek attacked him and Rayne with an army of spawns.

"Darkness becomes me Jack! I can control these Heartless easily!" he explained, wailing away on Jack freely, albeit too carelessly as Jack managed to parry a blow at the last possible second, sending him staggering backwards and following it with a piercing stab. "Not so fast!" He cried, grabbing a nearby body, body-blocking Jack's strike with Zack's now lifeless body. The sight of something so similar to his friend paralyzed Jack for just enough time for Marek swing his sword THROUGH Zack and into Jack. He would be dead if it weren't for his daughter blocking the blow at the last possible moment, all the while charging a spell in her free hand.

"Holy Burst!" she exclaimed, a sphere of white exploding into Marek's head, carving through the dark shroud to reveal his silver hair and face.

"Why you damn…" Marek began to insult, finding a fist filling up his face, courtesy of his brother.

"Don't you dare say anything about my daughter!" Jack exclaimed, Marek laughing in return.

"How can you be so sure she's yo-" And again, he got interrupted, this time by Shinryu's Chaotic Deluge, one that he had aimed at the snake's head, missing and ending up cutting off one of its wings, at the exact spot Marek was. He flew, dazed and in pain from the right wings into the spine of the snake. As that happened, Jack noticed Lezard hitting a lower wing and falling off into its back. Seeing that, he simply jumped after him with Rayne, knowing that Shin and Terra would get the memo.

* * *

"Damn it brother! Where are you going?!" Marek roared before feeling the air a bit too hot. "Don't even think about it!" he quickly turned around, grabbing the Meltdown orb thrown in his direction, but that was exactly what he should have never done, having locked himself in place, Shin cloaked himself in fire and rammed into him from the side, slamming him against the back of the beast, the incarnation of darkness starting to quickly slide downwards as they said:

"Your fight is with us now!" moving and talking like they mirrored each other, running down the spine of Ouroboros as it swung around widely, the snake trying to get a good bite on Shinryu Lux, failing to do so as faster than 300000000 meters per second is quite fast. Marek eventually stabilized by laying down his feet on the scales, summoning spawns of Ouroboros from its skin while he descended. There was no exchange of words between the two while Terra went for the puppets and Shin to the puppet master, the girl freezing two of them and breaking them right afterwards as Shin jumped, heaving his blazing sword into Marek's dark-stained Keyblade. They clashed thrice more, down, up, middle, the third time their swords grinding as both came to a halt, Ouroboros had taken flight, and that meant that for now they were horizontal again. This proved to be a pivotal time in the fight as Marek pulled out a trump card. While he pushed his sword against Shin, a spawn began to materialize behind him.

"You fell right into it…" he said, trying to use his voice to hide all traces of the attack. And it would've worked on a normal human… yet Shin dodged the attack simply by moving his head to the side, the sword of a shadowy Auron piercing Marek's right eye in sheer karma. "H-how. You couldn't have seen i-"he realized it too late. His eye caught Terra's golden one, which was staring at their exact location as she fought two other spawns off. Only then did he realize the full extent of their connection. And only then did the rage from his humiliation hit him, at the exact moment both seemed to smirk at him. "You… you have no idea who you are dealing with, do you?!" he growled, his sheer power causing a section of Ouroboros to detach from its skin, along with any spawns, all of it covering him.

"**I am the Lord of Darkness!**" he grew at least four times his size, arms, legs and head turning grotesque Gargoyle-like in appearance as wings sprouted from his back, it roaring: "**Now, tremble!**" Shin's hair was flying back just with his voice, or its voice, he did not know, but he had only one thing to say, him and Terra sharing the:

"Well, that can't be good."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jack tried to catch the still quite slippery Lezard, who just laughed and teleported every time he managed to even get near him, showered by arrows and spells every single time.

"Please, entertain me! This is becoming rather stale!" Lezard exclaimed, pointing his hand at Jack and chanting: "Prismatic Missiles!" The six beams of pure light then hounded Jack, who took to the skies to escape them. "Not so fast!" as Lezard moved his hand, so did the beams move. They were extremely fast, faster than even Jack. He had no idea what he could do to get rid of them, but he saw a light of hope when his daughter managed to sneak in on Lezard's back, seemingly unnoticed. "Sneaky, aren't we?" And his hopes were dashed and replaced by despair. Golden sand wrapped around her, levitating her.

"Prepare yourself, wish your father goodbye, because I don't believe you can survive this as you are right now." He flaunted as he landed on the ground, sending his book away and revealing his Gungnir. "Awaken lord of the Four Treasures, sealed away since the origin of time!" The blade split in three dark copies and shredded Rayne with multiple cuts and thrusts, sending her flying above and beyond. After that, two giant lances impaled her, making her lose consciousness. The three shadow lances returned to the man's hand converging into a single one. "Taste Gungnir's might! Divine Assault: Spiritual Lancer!" He boomed as he threw Gungnir at the unconscious Rayne. His pupils dilated when a ray of light suddenly appeared in front of her, Jack exploding from it and grabbing the spear with his bare hands, even if blood exploded from both in his attempt.

"Don't worry Rayne… father's here," he whispered, grabbing the spear's handle with his right hand, eyes flaring with fury. "And you're going to pay for this! Here's a taste of your own medicine!" And he simply threw him his precious Gungnir back with all his power. Such was his fury that the speed behind the spear was above and beyond anything Lezard could even dodge, the self-proclaimed God being impaled pathetically by his own weapon.

Landing slowly with his daughter, Jack smiled after feeling her pulse was still going strong after the rudimentary healing he administrated her. What he didn't expect was the turbulence that came with Ouroboros trying to catch Shinryu, along with something much more immediate. The Gargoyle-like Marek had just slammed Shin down against the spiny spine of the creature. Acting fast, Jack jumped in front of the finishing fist, blocking it with his Keyblade just in time.

"This energy… Marek?" The beast laughed at his brother's completely startled eyes. "You fell this low…"

"**On the contrary dear brother, I simply embra-"**

"Firaza!" Marek's eyes almost bulged out, not for being interrupted, but by what had interrupted him.

"**Za?!**" He cried, turning to see Terra chuck a cinder-like substance at him. Jack swore he heard something close "shit" once it touched his face, but he could not hear it over the cataclysmic explosion of fire that took place right afterwards. The eruption was so massive, the scales around them started to melt, the fire so hot Rayne's hair singed, even if it was not even close to the blast. Jack knew this was the prime time to attack and he hurled his Keyblade onto his brother's chest, who staggered back, falling to the ground.

"I… think we're done with him," Shin coughed, slowly lifting himself back up with Jack's help.

"What about Lezard though?" Terra asked Jack, her eye back to normal.

"Don't worry about him. He isn't going anywhere."

Mad laughter from above.

"Why yes, you are absolutely right, heathen!" Lezard cried out, right glass broken, body a mess, right arm gone, but now more insane and dangerous than ever. "I shall never vanish! In time, you will all serve me, so listen and do as I say! Bow to me! Worship me! Honour my name! LEZARD VALETH!" He cried maniacally as he lifted his one remaining arm onto the heavens, three giant beams of light appearing from breaches in the Rift and grabbing nearby asteroids, bringing them into the heroes 'direction.

"**You fool! You'll ****kill ****me as****well!**" Marek shouted, the group despairing to see that they had not even seen the end of the dark lord. This didn't seem to phase Lezard whatsoever, as he continued as planned.

"No mercy for the damned…" He began as the smaller meteorites assaulted the heroes and Marek, who could hardly dodge them. "No escape from catastrophe! Meteor Swarm!" He shouted as he brought down a meteor even more massive than Ouroboros itself.

"Damn you Lezard!" Marek yelled in frustration.

"_Kids, listen to me! Grumpy, I need you to get dark lord over there on a straight line to Lezard. You two, do your thing!"_ Shinryu told the trio before biting Ouroboros' neck, stopping it in midair, just below the meteor.

"Marek!" Jack yelled, doing as Shinryu said and attacking his brother.

"Very well! Let us finish this before it all ends brother!" Marek replied, bringing down both his fists on Jack. He did not expect however, Jack being teleported into his back, courtesy of Terra and Shin. "Light's Blaze!" he blared, a geyser of light erupting from his Keyblade's slash, throwing Marek across the air. Just as he did so, Terra and Shin's eyes interchanged again, their hands coming together, a bright, golden light forming, waiting. As soon as Marek passed between them, the meteor and Lezard, they had already chanted:

"Grace this world, spear to which Gods fall! BRIONAC!"

In one instant, it was as if time stopped and skipped forward, for in the very next one, there was a single, golden light piercing the meteor and, while they could not see it yet, Lezard and Marek laid impaled on the other side, the impact of the blow being so strong it cracked the dimensional walls, quite literally making them crash into nothingness. Soon after, the dimensional material behind them cracked, but they did not fall, for they were still impaled by Brionac.

"**And now for the ****coup de grâce****!**" Shinryu exclaimed, roaring, it's roar so fierce the earth beneath them opened up and the meteor was destroyed, pieces of it completely decimating Ouroboros as the dragon grabbed the heroes and left the vicinity of it.

As they reappeared at a safe distance, they smiled as they saw Ouroboros turn into ooze due to the attack of its own master. With Brionac now gone, the heroes saw Lezard and Marek beginning to fall, unconscious.

"We're going to need you to do the honors… Jack…" they said in their final synchronized tone, Terra's newfound form finally vanishing after having her completely heal Rayne, who groaned as she woke up.

"With pleasure…" Jack said, pulling his Keyblade back and preparing for the final blow. Infusing it with light one final time, he hurled it with all his might, crying: "Wanderer's Punishment!" at the blade turning into what could be confused as a halo of light as it sped to the villains.

* * *

Marek managed to regain consciousness before Lezard, as he had taken less of a proverbial beating. His body was back to normal, but his cognitive capabilities weren't as wrecked as it was. He saw Jack's final blow and he did both what was most logic and what he wanted the most. He used Lezard as a meat shield. Needless to say, he woke up to a much rougher wakeup call then Marek, as a Keyblade had just trespassed half of his chest, vomiting blood unto Marek's chest.

"Be-betraying me, are you?" Lezard blurted, his vision slowly decaying.

"Don't speak like you wouldn't do the same." Marek replied coldly, no regret for what he had done. Lezard laughed, laughed to his heart's content.

"Oh I would… and I did." Marek's cringed, not sure if it was a bluff. He wished. "Here is a secret. This? This is not my real body. It is merely a Homunculus… my very last one other than the one I spent on Tina. Most of my power was here, yes, but my living body? It won't suffer a thing!" Marek gasped in surprise, betrayal and most of all, frustration, for he knew he had been played the whole time. "Even more so. Ouroboros? It already seeped outside this dimension from what I can detect. You? You could… but I doubt they will give you the time. You see, I am a very, very vengeful person." As he said this, Marek threw him away, but it was too late, Lezard laughed as he fell into oblivion, his fake body scattering into particles of light while Marek was blinded by magical chains. As Shin and Jack appeared in front of him, swords held high and striking with one slash filled with their hearts and their souls, his cry was nothing but: "LEZAAAAAAAAAAAARD!"

"One Strike…" Shin and Jack said as they cut Marek open in a cross shaped form. "With Both Sword and Soul." He then exploded in crystal, his wound immediately closing with the crystalline substance as he began to fall.

"This is not over yet brother! I will not fall so easily! We shall meet again!" With his last shred of strength, Marek opened a portal into darkness, falling into whereabouts unknown, even for him.

"Damnit! We got no one!" Jack exclaimed in frustration, the rumbling and sounds of shattering glass making him realize what was soon to happen.

"**The Rift is unstable, climb on!**" Shinryu ordered, the duo doing what he said, dismissing their cloth and armor respectively.

"Can you get us out?" Rayne asked filled with hope. It was not often that a dragon smoked.

"**You just had to ask.**" With a loud, proud roar, the dragon zigzagged, becoming a ray of light and breaking through the fabric of dimensions, following the trail Lezard and Marek had left on their ways here.

* * *

Destiny Islands Plaza:

The entirety of the Wielders under Jack's commands now surrounded the place where the portal had closed. Mist hadn't moved from the spot, as much as Aqua pried her.

"It's been only half an hour Mist. Don't cry! You trust Jack, don't you?" Of course, time had only began to flow again once the Rift was damaged, so they had not the same problems as to wait the full eight hours. Still, Jack's wife was of course, deathly worried.

"I know but… I just have the feeling they won't ever come back from that portal…" And she was kinda right really.

Gush.

Everyone but Sora started to get a bad hair day that exact moment, the cyclonic winds throwing them butt-first on the ground. Sora was the exception since every day was bad hair day.

Anyway, you can imagine their surprise to see a giant dragon seemingly made of light now floating over the plaza. Especially one from which two people jumped. At first, they took out their blades, but then they saw their true identities.

"Jack… Rayne?!" Mist exclaimed, bum rushing her daughter with the tightest hug she had ever given anything. Crude? Yes. Uncharacteristic of her? Also. But this was her pride and joy. She couldn't help but cry as she embraced her. "What happened in there?!"

"It's a long story…" Jack said, his daughter wasting no time in saying:

"We'll tell ya all about it!" but then, she asked her mother to let her go, for four other feet touched the ground.

*Cue: "Song of the Ancients: Popola" Nier OST*

"So… this is the last time we'll see each other, isn't it?" Jack questioned. Shin and Terra took a good look at each other and nodded sorrowfully.

"Most likely." Terra told him.

"It was a blast though." Shin continued with a small smirk. Jack couldn't help but do the same.

"Terra…" Rayne said, pulling down her hand. Terra responded by kneeling, knowing that Rayne would jump to hug her. "Thank you… I will never blame my father again. I learned so much from you…"

"Don't mention it. You also made me realize… just how much I miss them. That is not a bad thing. I will carry on their memory. One way, or the other." Terra replied, breaking apart the hug as she said: "Who knows… maybe the first will be a girl." Rayne smiled back, getting exactly what she was saying.

"Shin…" Jack began, coughing and scratching the back of his head. "Thank you. You made me realize today that I take things so seriously I don't think outside of the box. The way you hesitated to follow their commands, even after I attacked you proves it. I will do my best to strive for my ideals, not for what seems to be the only way." Shin smiled and shook his head.

"Sometimes, you must use your head, not your heart. You showed me that. If you hadn't attacked… wouldn't have either, and we would've lot them both. I'll do my best to differentiate the situations." They both laughed, realize how, even without knowing or trying, they had taught life lessons to one another. Jack stopped first, placing a hand on Shin's shoulder and extending his hand.

"May we meet again… in the next life," He told Shin, who took in his hand.

"Or in another story." I don't know if he was being metaphorical or if he just broke the fourth wall… but I'll leave you to decide.

"It's been an honour, Shin…" He told him, giving him a small, quick hug, bro hug.

"And a blast…" Shin replied, pulling away after returning it. He took a look at Rayne jumping into her mother's arms and he said: "Lucky dog…" Jack could only laugh as Terra grabbed on to Shin's hand.

"Look who's talking." He replied, Shin and Terra smiling before being ported back to Shinryu's head.

"**Well Grumpy… you weren't half bad. Neither were you girlie… not half bad at all.**" Shinryu told the two, the duo chuckling at the dragons relaxed antics.

"Goodbye!" They said, Shin, Terra and even Shinryu returning it before vanishing in a ray of light.

"Who were they honey?" Rayne questioned. Jack put his hand around her shoulders and said:

"People we will forever hold in our hearts as dear to us…"

* * *

Caelum Oasis:

"Hey Terra… you didn't mean what I thought you mean when you were talking to Rayne, did you?" Shin asked as they jumped out of Shinryu Lux, whose connection with Light vanished once they left Jack behind, returning to Shin's body.

"I don't know…" She teased, skipping away and flying in the city's direction!

"We've been at this for two days!" Shin cried as he flew after her.

"_Are you seriously trying to…"_

"_It's too soon!"_

"_Dude! Shin! Level with me here. It may seem too soon for her endgame… but the way there is way too juicy for you to say no!"_

And so they continued their flight, Shin and Shinryu fighting, always, but always reflecting on the friends they made today.

* * *

"Maaaaan! I lost a lot, didn't I?!" Zack whined after they told their friends what happened at Caelum's most prized hotel.

"Stop whining." Aqua commanded, smacking her boyfriend on top of the head. That got a laugh out of Cloud and the other Warriors of Cosmos. Except for one… and that was strange.

"Where's… Bartz?" Squall asked, the mime appearing right behind Terra and Shin.

"Holy Dimensional Mumbo Jumbo Batman! I just hope that this dimensional disturbance doesn't cause any other strange happenings!" Bartz exclaimed, conveniently dressed as Robin. Everyone just sighed at his antics, except Shin and Terra, who simply looked out the window, seeing the silhouettes of Jack and Rayne on the clouds, smiling as they held hands. Maybe not now, not on this life… but they would meet again.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Elysium:

A phone rang. One would question why the ruler of the entire multiverse would need a phone, but well, if it was once human, old habits die hard. "God", as in, the person given that tittle answered it.

"Hello? Your holiness?" Someone said from one side of the line.

"Yes, Neku?" It asked, knowing why his confidant from the mortal world had called.

"Well… Bartz…"

"I know… he jinxed it…" It replied, facedesking.

* * *

An Unending Struggle Movie 2 confirmed! Timeframe "Soon TM"… maybe this summer soon!

* * *

**Post-Chapter Note: **First! The next "movie" for AUS isn't with TerraKH! Wanted to get that across. It's… a surprise. Now that that's out of the way… I can truly say I'm proud of how this turned out and extend my thanks to TerraKH for the idea for this story. It was truly revitalizing in terms of getting new ideas and stopping my burnout! From now on, I'll be working on my main projects more… come and check them out TerraKH readers! Also, don't forget to leave me a review telling me if I do or do not have reasons to be proud of this and what you liked/disliked about it!

This was the Unknowing Herald… finishing a fic for the first time!


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